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April 1955 w. TADDEO TAP HOLE DRILL GUIDE 3 sheetssneet 1 Filed May 6, 1953 INVEN'TOR Taddea I 1 I M X @7 1, H0 M 1 9 4 0 0 5. "Nu? April 5, 1955 w. TADDEO 2,705,630

TAP HOLE DRILL cums Filed May 6, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 lZZL'aIw 'Taalaie'o ATTORNEY April 5, 1955 w, TADDEQ 2,705,630

TAP HOLE DRILL GUIDE Filed May 6, 1955 :s Sheets-Sheet a INVENTOR United States Patent TAP HOLE DRILL GUIDE William Ta-tldeo, Bethlehem, Pa., assignor to Bethlehem Steel Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 6, 1953, Serial No. 353,338

2 Claims. (Cl. 266-42) This invention relates to a device for supporting and guiding a drilling tool at a predetermined location and uniform angle with respect to the tapping hole of a blast furnace.

When the molten iron in a blast furnace is ready for tapping, a hole is bored by a long auger or drill, usually electrically operated, almost through the fire clay plug in the tapping hole, and an oxygen lance or the like is then used to complete the opening. After tapping, the hole is again plugged.

To prevent tap hole breakouts, which are dangerous and costly, as much as possible, it is a practical necessity to restore the original tap hole location and angle for each cast, and by maintaining the opening at the same place to insure a uniform tap hole length and a minimum amount of heating of the furnace after the cast. Any device of this nature must be very easily and quickly attached and removed, so as not to interfere with or obstruct the operations of the furnacemen.

One object of my invention, therefore, is a device for properly positioning a drill in front of a blast furnace tapping hole.

Another object is a drill guide device which will preserve a predetermined and consistent location, length and angle of tap hole drilling.

A further object is a drill guide device which may be readily attached, adjusted, or removed, or swung to either side of the tap hole at the convenience of the operator.

Still other objects, purposes and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter in the specification and in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a workman placing a drill in the guide preparatory to boring out the clay plug in the furnace taphole;

Fig. 2 is atop plan view of the guide;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the guide and drill, with the furnace taphole shown in section;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the guide in operational position at the taphole, with the guide lock in place on the guide; and

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the guide as removed from the taphole and with the guide lock detached.

Referring in a more detailed manner to the drawings, a conventional blast furnace 1 is shown as provided with the usual tap hole'2, opening onto a trough or runner 3 for the flow of hot metal upon tapping, and normally'kept stoppered by a clay plug 4. Secured by welding or the like to conventional furnace outer metal structure 5 above said taphole 2 is a bracket 6 having a downwardly extending outer portion 7 with a plurality of vertically spaced bolt holes (not shown). On said outer portion 7 are mounted vertical filler plates 8 with registering bolt holes (not shown), and a vertical support plate 9 having an arched longitudinally extending center section 10 and side flanges 11. Said flanges 11 have vertically elongated bolt holes 12, which by means of through bolts 13, washers 14 and nuts 15 will permit an adequate range of vertical adjustment of the support plate 9. Said support plate 9 may also be moved inwardly or outwardly with relation to the furnace simply by removing or inserting additional filler plates 8, and is then bolted permanently in proper alignment with the tap hole 2. Welded to the 2,705,630 Patented Apr. 5, 1955 ice outer face of the said support plate are two outwardly extending and vertically spaced pins 16 and 17. The upper pin 16 is fairly long and has two spaced vertical slots 18 and 19. The lower pin 17 is shorter, and has only one slot 20.

The drill guide 21 proper comprises a channel-shaped member 22, having spaced holes 23 and 24 to receive the pins 16 and 17, and adapted to fit over the arched center section 10 of the support plate 9 with interposed filler plates 8. Rod handles 25 welded on each side of the guide 21 are provided for convenience, and tapered keys 26, 27, 28 adapted to be inserted in the pin slots 18, 19 or 20 are preferably attached to said guide by chains 29 or the like as in Fig. 5 so that they will not be lost or misplaced when the guide is removed.

in order to guide the drill 30 at the proper angle of inclination (shown for example as 22 30 from horizontal in Fig. 3), a half-section of pipe 31 open at bottom is welded to the triangular web plate 32 and the bottom of the channel member 22.

The guide lock is a counterpart half-section of pipe 33 with a pair of rings 34 welded thereon. After the drill bit 30 is passed through the rings 34, it is a very simple matter to manipulate the drill as shown in Fig. 1 so that the rings 34 will hold the counterpart half-sections of gpe 331 and 33 together and then to start drilling as in As a safety feature, the workman may at any time withdraw the drill and swing the guide 21 to right or left to determine how much further he can drill without drilling completely through the clay plug 4. This is accomplished by removing the keys 26 and 27 from their normal position in the inner pin slots 18 and 20, and inserting the key 28 in the outer slot 19 of the long top pin 16. The guide 21 may then be pulled away from the support plate 9 and olf the bottom pin 17, and will be pivotally supported on the top pin 16.

When the drill has reached the desired depth in the taphole, the drill and guide will be removed entirely, and the opening will then be completed with an oxygen lance or the like.

Although I have thus described my invention hereinabove in considerable detail, I do not wish to be limited narrowly to the exact and specific structure shown, but I may also use such modifications, substitutions, or equivalents thereof as are embraced Within the scope of the invention or pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a drill guide for use in opening the tap hole of a furnace, the combination of a support member mounted above said tap hole, a pair of outwardly projecting upper and lower pins on said support member, the upper pin being of substantial length and having: inner and outer key slots, the lower pin being shorter and having only one key slot, an elongated member provided with holes registering with said pins, tapered keys adapted for insertion in the pin slots, and a two-partsleeve member on said elongated member for aligning the drill with the tap hole.

2. In a drill guide for use in opening a furnace tap hole, the combination of an outwardly extending bracket above said tap hole, a vertically adjustable support plate mounted on said bracket, a vertically disposed elongated member demountably attached to said support plate, an angularly disposed half-tubular member fixed to the bottom end of the elongated member, a complementary half-tubular member adapted to engage the first-mentioned halftubular member and align a drill coaxially with the tap hole, and apertured members secured to the secondmentioned half-tubular member and slidable over the first-mentioned half-tubular member to complete the guide assembly.

Scott Dec. 7, 1920 Giese May 15, 1945 

